Finally, the worlds of sports car racing are united. Finally, the future is here. Finally, the racing season is here. Follow the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship's 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona here.

(Welcome to Rennsport's 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona live blog for Jalopnik! All of today's posts will be written in ascending order with a time stamp next to them in Eastern time as well as a letter signifying the author of the post. For instance, anything posted by "P" is by myself, Fred "Porsche9146" Smith, while anything posted by "D" is from DannyCatSteve, anything posted by "N" is from Nobody and anything posted by "B" is from Bakkster. Most of the photos we will be using today, including the beautiful rotation of headlining shots above this little wall o' text, are from Halston Pitman of MotorSportMedia. Enjoy the race!)

6:57 PM, P: A full 29 hours after it began, the Rolex 24 at Daytona finally concludes. We hope you've enjoyed the race, thank you for joining us for this live blog. One final note: Matteo Malucelli has been released from the Halifax Medical Center and will return home to Italy tomorrow.

6:21 PM, D: The penalty given to Level 5 Racing following the last lap battle has been reveresed. The Ferrari of Scott Tucker, Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell, Jeff Segal and Alessandro Pier Giuidi wins GTD!

2:15 PM, P: The penalty assessed in GTD was for avoidable contact, though the #555 Ferrari never touched the #45 Audi. Looks like the GTD class will be settled by the stewards...

2:13 PM, P: Nevermind! The GTD winning Level 5 Ferrari has just been assessed a 70 second stop and hold penalty, which would move the #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 onto the top spot of the podium in the class.

2:11 PM, P: Two lead changes in a lap and GTD still isn't decided with 1 to go! WINKELHOCK USES HIS BUMPER AND GOES TO THE OUTSIDE! PIER GUIDI PUSHES WINKELHOCK OFF TRACK!

2:10 PM, P: Just when you think things have calmed down, Fox Sports One's cameras miss a lead change in GTD after the Level 5 Ferrari has an off! Pier Guidi takes the spot back on the banking coming to the white flag!

2:09 PM, P: White flag this time by!

2:07 PM, P: Suddenly, GTLM is the battle to watch as the #911 Porsche finds itself held up and the #55 BMW closes in! This is the first time the #911's been challenged for a lead on-track since his team mate's issues hours ago!

2:05 PM, P: Marcus Winkelhock and Alessandro Pier Guidi make contact in the bus stop fighting for the GTD lead! Winkelhock sustains suspension damage with just 4 minutes left as Pier Guidi escapes with the lead!

2:03 PM, P: Green flag is out. Angelelli's gap to Barbosa is about a second and a half.

2:01 PM, P: A long caution to clean up literally nothing is nearly complete. Looks like we'll go green with about 8 minutes left on the clock...

1:52 PM, P: The call to throw the yellow there is questionable, at best. That's nota yellow at any other point in the race, and thus, it'll be scrutinized all week.

1:50 PM, P: Alex Job Racing's Leh Keen has a big off in the international horseshoe. He continues, but it brings out the safety car nonetheless. Suddenly, we've got a race in three classes...

1:48 PM, P: The gap in Prototype and for the overall lead is 13 seconds. The gap in GTD is down to just 8 seconds.

1:41 PM, P: Angelelli's charge is slowed significantly, as he now falls to 15 seconds back in the fight for the overall win. The gap in GTD is 11 seconds.

1:34 PM, P: Angelelli spent longer in the pits than Barbosa, and by extent the gap for the overall lead is all the way up to 13 seconds.

1:33 PM, P: The other gap to watch, that in GTD, hasn't fluctuated far from 15 seconds.

1:31 PM, P: The overall leaders make their final stop for fuel to the finish. Both going for fuel only, no tires.

1:24 PM, P: A gap that started at 17 seconds has fallen to just 9 as Max Angelelli reminds the world why Wayne Taylor puts up with all the cars he wrecks, Wayne Taylor owned or otherwise. "Max The Ax" is in full hunt mode in the race's final hour.

1:21 PM, P: Ganassi's 02 entry, their last remaining healthy car, has it's engine cover off in the pits. It's being pushed behind the wall.

1:17 PM, P: The GTD leading Level 5 Ferrari has gone one more lap than the second placed Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi on this cycle, and given how often GT comes down to fuel mileage in this race, that could be a huge advantage for the team. However, Alessandro Pier Guidi remains behind the wheel of that car, while the quicker Marcus Winkelhock has jumped behind the wheel of the Audi. That gap, just as in DP, was around 12 seconds before the cycle of stops began.

1:12 PM, P: Welcome to hour 24. It's well and truly crunch time now.

1:07 PM, P: Action Express confirms both their cars will need another stop to get to the end of the race on fuel. It's assumed the Wayne Taylor Racing entry will need another stop as well. No update on any penalties for the 5 car yet.

1:02 PM, P: A huge slide for Sebastien Bourdais as he locks up into the pits! Did he get down to pit lane speed in time? The 10 and 5 both pit, and both change drivers. Joao Barbosa now sits behind the wheel of the 5, while Max Angelelli will be the pilot chasing him down for the overall win. Brian Friselle will be the closing pilot in the third place Action Express/ADR Corvette.

12:58 PM, P: An update on the two gaps one needs to be watching: Bourdais is now consistently putting down faster laps in his Action Express entry than Jordan Taylor is in his Wayne Taylor Racing entry, and by extent, that gap has now grown to a full 12 seconds. Meanwhile, in GTD, Spencer Pumpelly is consistently throwing down faster laps than the class leading Level 5 Ferrari, and once he retakes second in class in a lap or so, he'll be just 14 seconds behind that car, presently driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi.

12:52 PM, P: Mazda's lone remaining Skyactiv prototype, the #07, pulls behind the inside retaining wall past the bus stop. Not to scrap the program in dramatic fashion by driving the car into the track's famous infield lake, but to return to the paddock for what the company hopes will be one final set of repairs.

12:47 PM, P: Definitely an engine issue for the 01. Worrying for Ford, but the Ganassi team can be thankful that it hit the already-out-of-contention 01 and not the fringe contending 02.

12:46 PM, P: Since staying out under the last caution and starting this stint with a 4 second gap on the 10, Sebastien Bourdais has extended the 5's overall lead to a full six seconds.

12:41 PM, P: It's already well down the running order, but it's interesting to note that the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing entry is supposedly having issues with it's Ford EcoBoost powerplant for two reasons: One, they must finish the race to score championship points, and every point will be vital in a title fight against the likes of Wayne Taylor Racing and Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, and two, those Ford engines have been dropping like flies over the course of testing and practice for this event, but we've yet to see one fail in the race itself.

12:33 PM, P: While Jordan Taylor works to make up the gap made by the #5 not pitting, it's worth noting that the second Action Express car, the #9 co-run for Alan Docking Racing, has never lost touch with the leaders and is the only other car on the lead lap overall.

12:22 PM, P: It appears the GTD leading Flying Lizard Motorsports R8's made a stop under the yellow as well, and that the rest of the class did not follow. They'll restart fourth after leading. Meanwhile, the #93 Viper, sitting P4 in GTLM but nearly a dozen laps behind the leaders, has stopped on track to extend the length of this caution.

12:19 PM, P: Looks like we're finally headed back to green. The #5 Action Expess car stayed out when the other Prototype leaders took the chance to pit under yellow, so Sebastien Bourdais will lead the field to the line.

12:08 PM, P: Is there such a thing as a minor electrical fire? Most would probably agree there isn't, but that is apparently what Muscle Milk Pickett Racing has just suffered. Their Oreca-Nissan never went behind the wall and returns to the track, seemingly without issue.

12:03 PM, P: The issue on the #4 Corvette is a transmission bearing failure, per driver Oliver Gavin.

12:00 PM, P: The race returns to the control of the safety car as the fire is doused.

11:56 AM, P: A major fire on the #7 Starworks PC, second in class!

11:53 AM, P: With the #3 Corvette remaining in the pits, the car has fallen from 2nd in GTLM to 5th. This in turn promotes the #55 Rahal-Letterman-Lannigan Racing BMW and the #91 SRT Viper to podium positions.

11:44 AM, P: Jordan Taylor, clearly the best driver for Wayne Taylor Racing throughout last year and in the race to date, will be coming up on drive time restrictions come the end of the race, meaning that Max Angelelli will be in that presently leading car for the final stint of the race. This of course means it's time for Justin Bell's annual "Max Angelelli tested my Viper at Paul Ricard once and wrecked it" story, which is just one of many "Max Angelelli wrecked our car while going really fast" stories out there.

11:34 AM, P: Smoke pouring from the right-rear corner of the #4 Corvette Racing C7.R! Telemetry shows the issue to be something rather major and the second place runner in GTLM, for a while one of only two healthy GTLM runners left in the race, pulls directly into the garage!

11:26 AM, P: Spencer Pumpelly is finally on the tail of Townsend Bell for the GTD lead, something his Flying Lizards team has been chasing since the early hours of the night.

11:20 AM, P: We're back to green! The cars leading now are well and truly your contenders to the end, just as they have been for the past four hours or so, and they are still the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP in Prototype, the #911 Porsche Motorsports North America entry in GTLM, the #54 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09 in Prototype Challenge and the #555 Level 5 Ferrari in GTD.

11:15 AM, P: Just three cars remain on the lead lap in Prototype, just two in GTLM, just one in Prototype Challenge and, most surprisingly of all, just two in GTD. Yet, this being Daytona, each of those classes will somehow still go down to the wire.

11:08 AM, D: Safety car will go back out for a tire carcass from the 87 located on the racing line in the bus stop. Just a touch over three hours to go.

11:05 AM, D: Back to green! Martin and Taylor fight for the lead through turn one. Taylor holds it and the 87 PC car gets tagged by the MMPR entry and spun around. He has got it going again.

11:00 AM, D: The only driver change to occur during the yellow flag stops was in the #6 Oreca Nissan. Alex Brundle exited and Klaus Graf is now in control of the Muscle Mile racer.

10:53 AM, D: Most of the leaders have come in under yellow. Jordan Taylor, who had to come in after going off track a few minutes ago, has stayed out and taken the race lead back.

10:19 AM, D: The number 5 Action Express Corvette is in for a driver change. Past IndyCar star Christian Fittipaldi gets out and current IndyCar star Sebastien Bourdais gets in.

10:16 AM, D: Graham Rahal has brought the 56 BMW Z4 behind the wall with suspension drama. They were third in class.

10:12 AM, D: Shane Van Gisbergen is in the Weathertech Porsche. He will enjoy a nice omelette once his stint is finished courtesy of Magnus Racing.

10:07 AM, D: Ricky out, Jordan into the number 10. Max Angelelli should finish the race.

10:03 AM, D: The second place number 9 AXR Corvette DP has been in for a stop. No issues and John Martin is now behind the wheel. According to Burt Frisselle they are suffering from minor gearbox issues.

9:56 AM, D: The legend David Hobbs is in the booth! The 01 Ganassi Ford Riley shortcut the bustop, but did the mandatory stop and rejoined.

8:14 AM, D: Vautier in the 07 Mazda has been spun around in the bus stop.

8:07 AM, D: Alessandro Balzan, who was running third in GTD, has gone off in his 458. Currently unkown what the drama is, but they are going to the garage. The #5 AXR and MMPR entries are now in for service.

8:03 AM, D: Jordan Taylor has come in for a stop from the race lead. Ricky Taylor is now in the car and Burt Frisselle is the new leader.

7:55 AM, D: The second place (GTLM) Porsche 911 RSR has been taken behind the wall. Oil pressure issues seem to be the cause.

7:49 AM, D: The 02 Ganassi car has a cut right rear tire! It is now running quite slowly, and will most likely go a lap down to his proximity to the pits.

7:45 AM, D: Good morning, everyone! Shane Van Gisbergen is going to have soup at some point today.

7:34 AM, P: Major news from race control as the leader of the race for the majority of the night, the #5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP, is assessed a 70 second stop and hold penalty for avoidable contact with a GTD car!

7:27 AM, P: Magnus Racing announces on their stream that Porsche is out of spare 911 GT America splitters. The entire supply has been run through by the various Porsche teams in the GTD category and there's still nearly a third of a race to go...

7:24 AM, P: Spirit of Daytona lost a lap on their stop, thanks to a long brake change. This moves Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, and by extent any non-DP, into the top 5 overall for the first time since around hour 2.

7:19 AM, P: It wouldn't be an endurance race for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing without an engine-cover-off pit stop! Fortunately, the repairs seem minor. Unfortunately, these engine-cover-off pit stops usually come from the lead for MMPR, and that's far from the case today...

7:11 AM, P: The yellow was for the stalled #57 GTLM Ferrari of Krohn Racing.

7:07 AM, P: Full course yellow #12 is out for an unspecified purpose.

7:00 AM, P: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, VIETNAM! The sun has finally begun to rise over Daytona as the live television broadcast finally resumes on Fox Sports One.

6:44 AM, P: How can you have four classes racing at hundreds of miles an hour for 24 hours and yet still have a point where nothing's going on under green? You just can, folks. You just can.

6:27 AM, P: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a side-by-side race for the overall lead on our hands! Twice on that last lap the #5 got around the #10 on the banking, but both times the #10 went into a corner deeper and retained the positions. Taylor and Barbosa, the stars of those two cars, are putting on quite a show for all six of the people awake!

6:20 AM, P: Were Radio Le Mans covering today's proceedings, this is about the time that John Hindhaugh would tell you that a Swiss bloke's just won the tennis. Unfortunately, MRN is just here to tell us that Fast Food, MRN's food show, debuts on February 20th.

6:09 AM, P: Another retirement reported as the #70 Mazda Skyactiv Diesel's race is done at just under the 16 hour mark.

6:03 AM, P: There has been a moment in every great endurance race of late where the news of a particularly sad retirement must be given, and that moment has come for this year's Rolex: The #0 Deltawing DWC13 has been retired from the 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona. The gearbox issues were simply too insurmountable to overcome.

5:58 AM, P: MRN reports that the overall race leader, the #10 Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype of Wayne Taylor Racing, has pulled into the garage. Fortunately for Wayne Taylor Racing, this report was incorrect and the car is still circulating and still leading the race overall.

5:45 AM, P: It looks like two of the LMP2 entries have found each other on track, with just two seconds between the issue-laden #2 Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD and the also issue-laden OAK Racing for P8 in the Prototype class.

5:40 AM, P: IMSA's stream is suddenly just a purple bar over a grey bar. I'd gander that it's not working right now.

5:18 AM, P: Finally, the #70 Mazda Skyactiv prototype that many assumed would fail before hour six has an issue. It had been running cleanly and consistently for just over 15 hours, but as we near the 16 hour mark, it's being pushed behind the wall.

5:09 AM, P: Patrick Long moves the #911 factory Porsche past Nick Tandy in the #912 factory Porsche for the class lead. No team orders there, at least not yet...

Also, there's some tennis on. Tennis looks fun.

5:04 AM, P: Two class leaders, the #4 Corvette in GTLM and the #54 Oreca FLM09 in PC, made stops from those positions, relinquishing those leads to the #911 Porsche and #25 8Star Oreca FLM09, respectively.

5:02 AM, P: Back to green. Angelelli leads overall. Just two more hours 'til live television coverage resumes on Fox Sports One!

4:54 AM, P: It's going to be difficult for Michael Shank Racing to rebound from it's gear change, as the car now sits a full 5 laps behind the overall lead!

4:43 AM, P: Some news from RocketSport Racing spotter/CTSCC driver Remo Ruscitti, who confirms that both of the team's LMPC entries, the 08 and the 09, have joined the list of race retirees.

4:38 AM, P: The eleventh full course yellow flies for the #1 Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD, stopped on track in the infield. Most of the Prototype field pitted just before the caution came out, with only John Martin yet to pit in the #9 Action Express/ADR Corvette DP. The #555 Level 5 Ferrari has seemingly recovered from it's long stop to retake the lead in GTD, while your PC and GTLM class leaders remain CORE Autosport and Corvette Racing, respectively.

4:32 AM, P: Max Angelelli's new found lead has already grown to a full eight seconds over the formerly dominant Action Express car.

4:29 AM, P: It's not all 4:30 AM on-track lead changes at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. There's also revelations of the time new factory Porsche LMP1 driver Marc Lieb peed in a GT car in this very race, around this very time, exactly ten years ago to be had. What great heights he's reached since then!

4:25 AM, P: MAX ANGELELLI CLEAR TO P1! We have an on-track lead change overall at 4:25 AM!

4:22 AM, P: Angelelli, piloting the Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP, is putting up a good fight against the Action Express #5, sitting just half a second back about 15 minutes after the restart. Tony Kanaan is still in that fight as well in the #02 Ford-Riley, sitting just one second further back from Angelelli.

4:10 AM, P: After a lengthy yellow, the green flag flies again. The Action Express pulls away on the restart, as ever. Your other class leaders are the #4 Corvette in GTLM (Which was a lap down just a few hours ago), the #52 CORE Autosport Oreca in PC and the #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari in GTD.

4:01 AM, P: Your GTD leader, the #555 Level 5 Ferrari, is undergoing a very, very long stop under this yellow. Looks like an issue on the Right-Front corner. Paul Miller Racing's R8 LMS, another early race leader in GTD, has had some issues in the past hour, and now sits a full seven laps down.

3:58 AM, P: Michael Shank Racing's #60 Ford-Riley goes behind the wall for a gearing change under the yellow. This is a risky move, but one that Ganassi made in their 2011 winning effort, so there's a precedent of coming back from the decision.

3:51 AM, P: In addition to the stalled Deltawing, a single LMPC car sits stalled on the SAFER barrier at the exit of the bus stop.

3:46 AM, P: In brighter news, Shane Van Gisbergen will be coming by the Magnus Racing pit box to eat soup! Wait, is it eat soup or drink soup? Either way, he's totally gonna go into their pits and ingest soup.

This is entirely meaningless for people not following Magnus Racing's live stream, and of utmost importance for those that are. Their food show has quickly overtaken MRN's in popularity.

3:43 AM, P: The tenth full course yellow of the race is thrown for the Deltawing stopped on track by the bus stop. Meanwhile, the #3 Corvette has become just the fifth retirement of the race after it's water leak lead to deeper issues.

3:33 AM, P: After a reliable first thirteen hours of debut that saw the team never lose contact with the class lead, the lone SRT Viper GT3-R in existence, being run in GTD by Riley Technologies for Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen, finally has an issue. Bleekemolen, the full season pro driver in that car, reports a clutch and differential issue on Twitter, and the car remains in the garage.

3:28 AM, P: The race has finally settled well int a rhythm as the race continues to remain relatively calm on track. MRN reports a full course yellow, but it doesn't materialize.

3:07 AM, P: Green flag stops have cycled through again in Prototype, and the now off-cycle #5 Corvette DP of Action Express Racing has returned to it's spot up front by a full 34 seconds.

3:00 AM, P: MRN's current anchor keeps pronouncing "Audi" as "Awdy". It's one thing to mispronounce a name that's far from phonetic like "Maxime Martin", but "Awdy"? Meanwhile, the just-for-fun Magnus Racing stream helmed by Ryan Eversley continues to be brilliant. At this point, they're providing more coverage of the race itself than MRN...

2:55 AM, P: Looks like the #5 made an unscheduled stop from P2 overall. The car briefly fell to P5, but has since passed the Spirit of Daytona #90 to return to P4 overall and in class. Ricky Taylor now sits in second in the Wayne Taylor Racing #10.

2:42 AM, P: The revolving door that is the GTD lead continues to revolve, with the #555 Level 5 Ferrari again taking the top spot in that class. Each car down to around 13th in that class is still very much in contention for a race win.

2:40 AM, P: We have a fight for the GTLM lead, and it's between the Porsche Motorsport North America team mates as Lietz in #911 applies pressure to Bergemeister in #912 for the position.

2:23 AM, P: Your overall leaders pit, and the 02 relinquishes the spot by doing a driver and tire change while the 5 stopped for fuel only.

2:14 AM, P: Friselle and Dixon are again fighting for the overall lead, with the Ford-Riley of Dixon holding the spot as they run. They're finding each other on the track often today...

2:11 AM, P: Finally, the 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona is halfway complete. A celebratory song from Rennsport's own Nobody:

2:02 AM, P: #3 Corvette in the pits with the hood off.

1:56 AM, P: Ferrari has no more information on the injuries to Matteo Malucelli, the driver of the Risi Competizione GTLM entry involved in the earlier harrowing incident with Memo Gidley, past what was originally given by IMSA.

1:49 AM, P: It's Sage o'clock in the Ganassi pits, as Sage Karam finally makes his long-awaited debut in the #01 Riley-Ford, now seemingly out of contention for anything of note. Given the issues the car's gone through, Karam may get more than his originally scheduled single graveyard shift stint in that car.

1:43 AM, P: Finally, an update on Memo Gidley's condition with specifics: Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing reports that Gidley has undergone surgery on his left arm and left leg. He is now under observation at Halifax Medical Center.

1:42 AM, P: We go back to green as reports of a water leak in the #3 Corvette surface. A worrying bit of news for the very competitive Corvette C7.Rs.

1:40 AM, P: Steve Post's pit reporting for MRN has been entirely about edible things since about 11:00 PM. They just spent five minutes on YooHoo. Maybe this is the MRN Food Show?

1:33 AM, P: Fittipaldi doesn't pit the Action Express #5, meaning he'll take the overall lead from Scott Dixon and the #02 Ford-Riley when the race resumes. Meanwhile, attrition has finally taken it's toll on LMPC and GTLM, with just two cars remaining on the lead lap of the former and just three remaining on the lead lap of the latter. However, seven cars remain on the lead lap in both GTD and Prototype.

1:27 AM, P: The Mangus Racing Porsche 911 GT America now sits 10 laps down in GTD. Andy Lally, star pilot for the team, said on Twitter that he's still not sure what happened as he solemnly conceded a chance at yet another Rolex.

1:23 AM, P: Chip Ganassi Racing's #01 returns to the track after a long stay behind the wall.

1:21 AM, P: The car smoking on track is the BAR1 Motorsports Prototype Challenge entry, which was running third in class at the time of the issue. This leaves just two cars on that class's lead lap.

1:20 AM, P: We fall under the full course yellow for the ninth time of the race. An open topped prototype is stalled in the infield, seemingly on fire. Looks like an LMPC.

1:16 AM, P: As GTD stops cycle through, Kuba Giermaziak moves the #30 NGT Motorsports Porsche into P1 in the class for the first time in a few hours. They've been one of three or four teams to have long stints leading that class.

1:10 AM, P: Another issue for Magnus Racing, who are repairing their splitter after finally recovering from an earlier transmission issue.

1:06 AM, P: Thanks to a tire and driver change by Action Express Racing, Scott Dixon takes the lead in the #02 Riley-Ford.

12:56 AM, P: The racing on-track is as calm as can be for a fully green race, but in the paddock the Chip Ganassi Racing team is still in panic mode as they repair the early race favorite #01 Ford-Riley. Your class leaders remain the same.

12:39 AM, P: Pruett's issue stems from a hit to the outside wall, presumably on the last restart. His team mate Scott Dixon, driving Ganassi's #02, has not lost contact with the overall leader and could begin to make a move for the lead if he continues at this pace.

12:32 AM, P: Work continues on the #01 Ganassi Ford-Riley, and the issue still isn't yet known. Meanwhile, MRN is interviewing former NASCAR journeyman and current employee of Action Express Racing Elton Sawyer. Elton Sawyer! He's still doing things in racing!

12:29 AM, P: The now traditional post safety car penalties have been announced, and the recipients are the #555 Ferrari, once the leader in GTD, and the #56 BMW, once P4 in GTLM. This will move Snow Racing's sneaky good #58 911 GT America into the lead in GTD.

12:27 AM, P: Major dramas as the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford-Riley goes behind the wall from third in class! On-boards show crews working underneath the front clip, but their issue isn't yet known.

12:23 AM, P: Back to green. Barbosa again gets a great restart in the #5 Corvette Daytona Prototype.

12:19 AM, P: Looks like Muscle Milk Picket Racing finally received a wave around under that caution. If they did so legally, this will make the first time an LMP2 car has been on the lead lap since OAK Racing's issues and the first time the MMPR Oreca-Nissan has been on the lead lap since around hour 3.

12:07 AM, P: Steve Post of MRN is really into the food in the paddock tonight. Maybe the reason MRN is having so much trouble covering this race is that this race broadcast is itself actually MRN's food show?

12:00 AM, P: Happy Sunday! Unfortunately, this Sunday is far from happy for the #09 Rocketsport Racing LMPC, a car whose struggles continue as it stops on track in the infield to bring out the eighth full course yellow of the race.

11:54 PM, P: Lucas Luhr finally shows some pace in the Muscle Milk LMP2 car, sitting one lap down in the Prototype class. He throws down the car's fastest lap of the race, a 1:40.89, and though it's well off the fastest pace of the leading Daytona Prototypes, he's presently lapping faster than any of them are at this hour.

11:51 PM, P: Bad news for fans of Peter Baron's Starworks outfit, as the team announces that the issue that stalled their #78 Daytona Prototype was in fact a race-ending engine failure, marking the fourth retirement of the race.

11:48 PM, P: The entire world seems unsure as to how Long earned the penalty that dropped him from his class lead. The leading theory? "He questioned the usefulness of MRN, the NASCAR radio network, having a food show".

11:39 PM, P: Patrick Long has been assessed a drive through penalty. This should drop the #912 Porsche back to fourth in class and move the #911 Porsche into P1 in GTLM. This definitely didn't say the #911 got the penalty before an edit because that would be both incorrect and silly.

11:32 PM, P: We're back to green. As on past restarts, Joao Barbosa pulls the #5 Action Express Corvette DP away from the field, but this time he's followed by his team mate (Kind of), the #9 Action Express/ADR entry.

11:22 PM, P: Well, this caution's getting longer by the minute, so let's do a proper hourly update:

Hour 9 Update:

Your lead lap cars in each class, in order at the time of writing:

Prototype: 5, 9, 02, 60, 01, 90, 10

Prototype Challenge: 25, 54, 7

GT Le Mans: 912, 3, 911, 56

GT Daytona: 22, 48, 555, 63, 30, 23, 33, 58

Seven safety car periods have been run in the race to date, as well as one red flag for the harrowing incident between Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli, who thankfully are both awake and alert, staying at Halifax Medical Center overnight.

Only three cars have officially retired at this point: the #46 Fall Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS, the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 GTE and the #99 Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype.

11:16 PM, P: At about 9 hours in, 8 of the starting 18 prototypes remain on the lead lap, while nine remain in the hunt for the race win. All eight cars on the lead lap are DPs, while the car a lap down is the Muscle Milk Pickett racing Oreca-Nissan.

Four cars remain on the lead lap and six remain in the direct hunt in GTLM, with that second group containing two 911s, two Corvettes and two BMW Z4s, all from each group's respective factory team.

LMPC sees just three cars on the lead lap and just four cars within two laps of the lead.

Ten cars remain on the lead lap in GTD, while about 13 are within two laps of the lead.

11:11 PM, P: MRN is very much impressed by a simple front clip change on the #93 Viper. It's as if they've never seen this before. Yet, there's at least three front clip changes mid-race during every NASCAR plate race weekend. Last year at Talladega, JGR had a spare, flat black front clip AND a spare, flat black decklid on their #11 car. How has MRN never seen this before?

11:06 PM, P: MRN reports an issue for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, but the car in question is in fact the Starworks Daytona Prototype, stalled in the infield. This brings out the full course caution.

11:01 PM, P: Jonathan Bomarito has brought the #93 Viper into the pits, as it sounds like the car is heavily damaged and in need of significant repairs. MRN doesn't make this entirely clear, but what is clear is that the car is no longer leading GTLM. Looks like they've only lost 3 laps, but SRT's 1-2 is now a 7-9 thanks to major issues for both cars. Thus, Porsche's now got a stranglehold on the GTLM class, holding a 1-2 with the #911 and #912 911 GT3 RSRs

11:00 PM, P: A FOOD SHOW.

10:59 PM, D: Fred is about to take back over. What's the most amazing thing that happened this hour? We learned MRN has a food show.

10:50 PM, D: After the pit cycle, Barbosa leads Taylor, and Frisselle is in third. Bomarito currently leads GTLM for SRT.

10:45 PM, D: The 91 Viper is being worked on behind the wall with power steering issues.

10:39 PM, D: Westbrook, Franchitti, and Graf pit this lap. All stayed in their cars according to timing and scoring.

10:35 PM, D: Bourdais brings in the 5 AXR Corvette in from the lead and hands over to Joao Barbosa. Allmendinger pits the MSR machine from the inherited lead. The 91 Viper also came in but had dramas.

10:27 PM, D: Jordan Taylor has brought the WTR entry into pit lane. He stays in and rejoins the race in 5th.

10:23 PM, D: Mikhail Aleshin (72 Ferrari 458) has been handed a drive through penalty for apparently cutting the bus stop and not stopping.

10:19 PM, D: The highest P2 car is the MMPR Oreca Nissan currently running 9th with Klaus Graf piloting. They are a lap down to the leaders.

10:09 PM, D: Frisselle has overtaken McMurray for 3rd. Allmendinger lies four seconds behind. Tandy leads GTLM for Porsche, CORE leads PC, and the 58 Ferrari of Lorenzo Case is in control of GTD.

9:20 PM, D: The battle for the GTLM lead is still raging. Richard Lietz in the 911 Porsche 911 is less than a second behind Jan Magnussen in the 3 Corvette.

9:13 PM, D: The IMSA stream is back working.

8:58 PM, P: Fireworks go off at the track less than 1/3rd of the way into the race, for some reason. Fox Sports Two is signing off, meaning coverage shifts to IMSA.com's free live stream. Spirit of Daytona Racing is now leading overall thanks to a stop and driver change by Michael Shank Racing, but once stops cycle through, it looks like the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford-Riley, presently being driven by NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray. Corvette Racing and RocketSport Racing continue to lead GTLM and LMPC respectively, while GTD's lead is retained as it has been for the past few hours by Paul Miller Racing.

8:51 PM, P: Sebastien Bourdais spins the #5 in the bus stop, but continues on without issue. The car behind Bourdais while he spun was his semi-team-mate, the ADR/Action Express #9, but it was not involved in the incident. Meanwhile, the #3 Corvette leads in GTLM thanks to stops by both factory Porsches and both SRT Vipers and the #48 Audi of Paul Miller Racing retakes the lead in GTD thanks to a stop by the #555 Ferrari.

8:46 PM, P: Spoke too soon there. Pierguiseppe Pezzarini limps back to the pits with a destroyed right-rear corner on his Spirit of Race Ferrari.

8:45 PM, P: Two GTD cars, the #49 Ferrari and the #81 Porsche, spin in the bus stop in front of the entire field.. Half the grid skips the corner to avoid, but it seems everyone's made it out without damage.

8:39 PM, P: IMSA has confirmed that both Matteo Malucelli and Memo Gidley are conscious and communicating while undergoing further observation.

8:38 PM, P: Wayne Taylor Racing is changing the grille on the #10, but it doesn't seem the car has any serious damage from the spin.

8:33 PM, P: It seems that incident's resulted in a lead change in GTD as well, and by extent, Nicki Thiim now leads that category in the NGT Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America. Sitting in second is the Paul Miller Racing Audi that's led the GTD class for the past few hours.

8:28 PM, P: Sofronas's issue came when he spun into the pit wall in Turn 2, while the issues for the leading #10 came when it got caught up in an accordion of cars avoiding the debris field resulting from the #32 R8's incident.

8:26 PM, P: A big hit for GMG's Audi R8 and a long, long wait before the caution is brought out leads to damage for the leading #10 Corvette DP, among other cars. The yellow is now out and James Sofronas is exiting the GMG R8 under his own power.

8:24 PM, P: Lead changes in PC and GTD as they cycle through stops: The 54 falls to second in LMPC, with the #08 Rocketsports Racing car now holding the lead in that category. Meanwhile, the #555 Level 5 Ferrari leads in GTD.

8:14 PM, P: Back to green. The cars that failed to pit before the yellow rush down the pit lane, and by extent the overall lead is relinquished by Ganassi's 01, giving that position to the Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP.

8:13 PM, P: Remember when the Farnbachers lead both GT classes at the same time? Rob Bell currently leads in GTLM, and while his brother Matt isn't currently on track, the car he's running today is leading GTD.

8:10 PM, P: Memo Rojas didn't have a chance to pit the #01 Ganassi entry before the yellow came out, so he leads the race overall and will score the North American Endurance Championship bonus points for leading at the six hour mark.

8:05 PM, P: Spoke too soon! A full course caution is out for debris in the bus stop, in the form of the right-rear tire carcass from the #7 Starworks Oreca FLM09.

8:03 PM, P: The #7 Starworks PC entry has some right-rear bodywork damage and a flat tire in the same location. He successfully limps into the pits to avoid bringing out a yellow. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson didn't take advantage of his first ever opportunity to use a pit speed limiter in racing action, and the result is a stop and go penalty for the 02, half a second off the lead just two laps ago.

8:02 PM, P: One lap later, the 10 and 5 pit from the lead. Fittipaldi gives way to Sebastien Bourdais in the Action Express car, while Max Angelleli stays in the 10. Since he didn't take tires, the 10 should take the lead after pits cycle through.

8:00 PM, P: Kyle Larson hops in the 02, but he stalls on his first attempt at a launch. He's just begun what will either be a double or triple stint in that Ford-Riley.

7:59 PM, P: Angelelli and Kanaan are now both within a second of Fittipaldi in the #5, but Kanaan dives into the pits. Angelelli keeps the pressure on.

7:56 PM, P: Max Angelelli takes P2 in Protoype and overall with a pass on Tony Kanaan. He set fast lap of the race by 3/10ths two laps ago and he's only two seconds behind the leading #5 Action Express entry.

7:47 PM, P: OAK Racing's issue is an alternator failure. Not an uncommon problem on modern prototypes.

7:45 PM, P: After pitting again immediately after their scheduled stop, OAK Racing appears to have an issue with their #42 Morgan-Nissan Prototype entry. Per timing and scoring, the car now sits seven laps down.

7:42 PM, P: Ryan Hunter-Reay works his way by both factory Porsches in GTLM and the class is now an SRT Viper 1-2.

7:31 PM, P: Back to green after the third full course yellow. Again, Action Express's #5 pulls away on the restart.

7:22 PM, P: As stops under yellow cycle out, your overall leader remains the #5 Action Express prototype of Christian Fittipaldi. With the #91 Viper making a stop under this yellow, your GTLM leader is now the #93 Viper, currently piloted by Rob Bell. Isaac Tutumlu, driving the #7 Starworks entry, leads LMPC. From the looks of it, GTD is being lead by the #48 Paul Miller Racing Audi, currently piloted by Rene Rast. Seven cars remain on the lead lap in Prototype, while a different seven sit on the lead lap in GTLM, four LMP2 entries remain on the lead lap in LMPC and a full 14 cars remain on the lead lap in GTD.

7:19 PM, P: The #01 Ganassi entry goes through a few under-the-front-clip repairs on pit road, but returns to the track. Not sure if that was scheduled or not.

7:06 PM, P: The leading RSR LMPC quietly received a three-and-a-half minute penalty, dropping the car from first to fourth in class. Colin Braun now leads that class in the #54 CORE Autosport entry, which spun on the first lap of the event. Per Alex Tagliani, the penalty was for a wave-around violation, something he feels he didn't commit.

7:00 PM, P: Engine cover off on the #4 Corvette during it's stop. Doesn't look like a major issue. Meanwhile, the top two Prototypes, the #5 and the #02, pit together.

6:57 PM, P: Deltawing in the wall in the international horseshoe. The nose looks crunched but fixable.

6:53 PM, P: Fox Sports Two does this thing where they have 5 minutes of commercials, then come back for 20 seconds, then go back to commercials for 3 minutes. Makes you wonder how they sell this much ad space on a channel with no viewership to speak of.

6:46 PM, P: Finally, Kanaan is starting to make some headway in the fight for the overall lead. Over the past few laps, he's cut the #5's lead from 18 seconds to just 9.

6:44 PM, P: Mario Farnbacher takes the lead in GTD with Alex Job Racing's #23 Porsche. That means the Farnbacher brothers are presently leading both GT classes.

6:31 PM, P: Driver Andy Lally reports a shifter compressor failure for the 911 GT America GTD entry of 2012 GT winners Magnus Racing. It has since been repaired and the car is back out, losing just 1 1/2 laps.

6:29 PM, P: Tony Kanaan wasted no time bringing the #02 back up through the field, and already he's got the Chip Ganassi-run prototype up to P2, 14 seconds back of the leading #5.

6:26 PM, P: Patrick Pilet and Dominik Farnbacher swap the lead in GTLM, but the Viper prevails again and retains it's lead position. Meanwhile, the #8 Starworks LMPC is in the pits with it's front clip off for what seems to be a relatively minor repair.

6:24 PM, P: Back to green after approximately 85 minutes of stoppage.

6:17 PM, P: As we head back to the green, your class leaders are the #5 Action Express Corvette in Prototype, the #08 RSR LMPC in Prototype Challenge, the #91 SRT Viper in GTLM and the #64 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia in GTD. Your only retirements in the race so far are the #46 Audi, #99 Corvette and #62 GTLM Ferrari.

6:13 PM, P: Stops continue to cycle through as the pits open for GT. Not all that many takers, but the leading #72 GTD Ferrari, a flurry of GTLM competitors and both of Chip Ganassi's Daytona Prototypes are among the group making stops.

6:09 PM, P: The pits are now open for Prototypes. The 02 went through a closed pit last time around, but did not stop. We'll see if they get a penalty.

6:01 PM, P: After just over an hour under varying degrees of red flag, cars are finally rolling again in Daytona.

5:58 PM, P: In an interview with Fox Sports, Wayne Taylor confirms he'll be entering his #10 Corvette Prototype when the pits open. He's expected to do just one stint.

5:54 PM, P: Marshall Pruett reports that Bob Stallings Racing team owner Bob Stallings is at the hospital and has confirmed that his pilot Memo Gidley is, thankfully, conscious. He has yet to see Gidley, but the report is good news for a harrowing situation.

5:42 PM, P: Cars are rolling. The tone of the race, however, has been entirely changed. It's clear to all that the well-being of Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli are more important than the on-track happenings.

5:33 PM, P: The red flag may have been rescinded, but cars still aren't rolling. Officials are presently reordering the grid, as it was shuffled under the red.

5:28 PM, P: The red flag has been lifted and the race resumes under the safety car. Keep Memo in your minds, folks.

5:23 PM, P: Memo Gidley is heading straight to the hospital, per Bob Stallings Racing co-driver John Fogarty. The race remains under the red flag.

5:08 PM, P: Per RACER's Marshall Pruett, the #99 Bob Stallings Racing prototype is being opened by the jaws of life to safely remove Memo Gidley from the car. We are still awaiting an update on his condition. The race falls under the red flag.

5:05 PM, P: Matteo Malucelli, driver of the Risi Competizione Ferrari involved, appears to be conscious and alert. Memo Gidley, pilot of the Gainsco DP, is still being tended to by medical officials and no update has been given at this time.

4:54 PM, P: The gap up front is just 1 second as Tony Kanaan brings the #02 Ganassi entry back up to the front, now barely trailing the leading #5 Action Express entry of Christian Fittipaldi. Also, Tomy Drissi's weird one-race movie sponsor of the race is none other than Rio 2, undoubtedly a sequel to Duran Duran's hit album of the same name.

4:49 PM, P: Tommy Kendall describes his former SRT team mate Dominik Farnbacher, currently being chased down by the #911 factory Porsche for the GTLM lead, as "A bit of a nudist". A brilliant sports car driver, a bit of a nudist, basically the German version of Ben Schwartz. An odd man indeed.

4:39 PM, P: Also in GTLM, the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari is currently serving a 75 second stop and hold for avoidable contact.

4:36 PM, P: SRT's two Vipers and Porsche's two 911s lead GTLM, and three of those four entries are already in front of the lead PC entrant. The PC cars are the slowest on the track in a straight line.

4:31 PM, P: ESM's #1 is still behind the wall, while the team's #2 has returned to the track.

4:28 PM, P: The Deltawing stops behind the wall to check on a possible gearbox issue. That gearbox has been an issue for the David Price lead Elan team since they took over the Deltawing program at the start of 2013.

4:25 PM, P: An unsurprising puff of smoke coming out of the #07 Mazda, which continues to struggle.

4:12 PM, P: An issue for an early race favorite as the #90 DP goes behind the wall. After a quick repair, it returns to the track.

Hour 2 Update

4:10 PM, P: With two hours down in the race, the event is beginning to fall into a rhythm. The early panic gels into a more consistent push, with positions still on the line in all classes but no panic necessary.

The overall and Prototype leader is Scott Dixon in Chip Ganassi's #09, as it has been for most of the hour. The hour's major drama in the class was a big spin for Ed Brown in ESM's #2 HPD LMP2 racer that left the rear end of the car entirely destroyed, leading to long repairs putting the car far back in the order. Other dramas came in the form of a trip behind the wall for the #90 Spirit of Daytona DP and a flubbed pit stop by the #01 Ganassi prototype that lead to a 1 minute, 20 second drive through penalty.

PC's leader is Alex Tagliani in the #08 RSR entry. The second RSR entry, #09, remains behind the wall as it undergoes major repairs.

SRT leads GTLM with their #91 Viper, currently being piloted by Marc Goosens. Of the competitive cars in the class, none have yet seen a major drama, though the lone backmarker in the class, the #57 Krohn Racing Ferrari, has had a few spins in the early going.

GTD is, surprisingly, being lead by a Porsche. Despite struggling for pace all week, the 911 GT America of NGT Motorsports leads overall, in no small thanks to current pilot Kuba Giermaziak.

Two hours in, only one car has been officially retired, the #46 Audi R8 of Fall Line Motorsports. One full course yellow has fallen so far, for the incident that lead to the 46's retirement.

4:03PM, P: The broadcast switches to Fox Sports Two for the next five hours. A Grand-Am race once had only 7,000 viewers on this channel. Let's hope we beat that today.

3:59PM, N: The 48 GTD is in the wall coming into NASCAR turn 1. No pictures yet, so I don't know if he going to make it back around.

3:56PM, N: Coverage is moving to Fox Sports 2 until 9pm Eastern.

3:54PM, N: Taking a move out of the NASCAR playbook, SRT is double stinting their left side tires, but changing rights on every stop.

3:50PM, N: More problems in the pits, this time for the 63 458 GTD, who started to drive away with his fuel hose still attached.

3:46PM, N: The 01 is now serving a stop + 60 for clipping his crew member.

3:43PM, N: The 01 DP just clipped one of its crewmembers as it came into the pits for new tires. The 01 got dropped early and the air jackman got hit.

3:42PM, N: The second round of Prototype pit stops is underway. The 10 DP is in for tires and fuel.

3:37PM, N: While TV is interviewing Dario Franchitti, the 91 Viper passes its teammate for the GTLM lead.

3:34PM, N: The 6 MMPR Oreca Nissan spun on its own going into the bus stop. He's back running.

3:30PM, N: The 49 458 GTD is slow on the back stretch, but he made it to pit lane to avoid bringing out the 2nd FCY.

3:26PM, N: ESM is now reporting that the rear end of the 2 broke before he spun into the tires at the bus stop.

3:22PM, N: As Scott Sharp attempts to get back going, he runs across the track in front of some GTD cars, who have to take evasive action. Sharp spun after being turned across by the Oak P2.

3:20PM, N: The 2 ESM HPD P2 spun into the tire barriers at the bus stop. It looks like he's got a broken rear end. Dixon leads overall. The Other ESM just spun in the same place. Could there be oil down?

3:17PM, B: The #09 PC car is heading behind the wall for repair. The GTLM cars appear to be able to change 4 tires before the fuel fills, even with only 3 mechanics. The GTLM pit cycle will put the BMWs intot he class lead for the first time. I'm signing off for now, and Nobody will be your new host.

3:13PM, B: The BMW was helped by a Ferrari. The #31 Whelen DP had a spin in the bus stop but kept it out of the wall. GTLM pit stops are beginning. The Corvettes will be shutting off their engine for safety while fueling, even though the regulations allow it to remain on.

3:10PM, B: After green flag stops, the top four prototypes are the #5 Corvette, #78 Dinan, #60 Ecoboost, and #2 HPD. Good variety. The Turner GTD BMW has spun but no other troubles on track.

3:02PM, B: Tire trouble for the #6! It appears their gamble not to take tires last stop did not pay off.

2:59PM, B: The #6 Oreca has beaten the #9 Corvette DP off pit lane.

2:45PM, B: The #07 Mazda is limping again, heading back to the pits for more work.

2:40PM, B: The #7 Mazda is having water problems and receiving service. The #99 pole sitting Red Dragon is leading, followed by the equally quick #90. The P2 group is led by the #42 Oak, followed by the #1 HPD, #0 DeltaWing, and #6 Oreca Nissan. The DeltaWing spun and the #6 had to avoid. The whole leading group of 11 prototypes is still withing 30 seconds.

2:36PM, B: Tight racing in GTLM already, side by side and swapping both positions and paint.

2:31PM, B: Taking this break to look at early pace, the #6 Oreca Nissan of Muscle Milk is the fastest P2. While they're only ahead of the #31 DP on track, their fast lap so far is better than half the DP field. The DeltaWing is a bit behind on raw pace, but are holding their own. As with everyone, they want to keep the car safe so they car be there to race to the finish.

2:24PM, B: Caution during the commercial break. Very hard hit, lost it under braking into T1 and sent into the pit wall. He's out of the car and OK, but the #46 Audi is going onto the flatbed. Would have been contending for the class win.

2:21PM B: The underdog Highway to Help and Krohn cars have already been to the pits. Krohn's privateer GTLM car grabbed tires, the H2H DP has an oil leak. The Highway to Help car is a 2013 specification DP that is not expected to be on pace and have all 50 year old and older drivers.

2:05 PM, B: Welcome to the live blog! We're getting
ready to go green. Things to watch for include the Corvette DPs having a
significant pace advantage, pay attention to see how they perform over
full fuel and tire stints. Also look for the class top speeds. The
slowest cars over a full lap in GTD are some of the fastest on the oval,
5-8MPH quicker than the GTLM and PC cars in the higher classes. Look
for lots of traffic and clashes under braking and onto and off of the
oval. Buckle in and get ready for 24 hours of hard racing between 67
cars!

2:00 PM, P: Welcome to the world of tomorrow! Over the next 24 hours, 67 racing cars born of carbon fiber and horsepower will wage a battle for the first ever Tudor United Sports Car Championship race win and, for each driver on that top step of the podium, the most important watches in motor racing. The first two hours of coverage will be on the FOX network for most, so find your local affiliate, sit back, and enjoy the start of a new era of American sports car racing.